


Secrets

by 7exie4nne



Category: The Gates, Twilight, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 13:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6660595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7exie4nne/pseuds/7exie4nne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I left The Gates to leave behind the secrets that I was not supposed to find out. Little did I know that the town of Forks had a couple of their own secrets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers! I introduce you to one of my earlier fanfictions which I am in the process of revising. I have several grammatical and punctuation errors I want to fix. I also want to rewrite certain chapters since I feel a few were a bit rushed. 
> 
> Since this fanfiction is already complete, I may be able to update daily depending on how much revising or rewriting I am doing to a chapter.
> 
> With that being said, I hope you readers enjoy!

Secrets, everyone has them. Whether they are secrets about themselves or other people or even a group of people, everyone will eventually have one or two, maybe more. Some secrets will be forced, some a burden to keep, and some may be necessary to share for the well-being of everyone involved. That's when secrets can start to complicate things; relationships, friendships, other people's lives. 

I should know. 

Secrets, mainly other people's, were the reason I left my beautiful home within the community known as The Gates. You see, another thing with secrets is that most people, if not all, don't like it when their secrets are found out. In my case, I didn't just find out one secret, I found out two. Two big, unbelievable secrets. One other thing about these secrets, they weren't just about one person; they were about two specific groups in The Gates community. 

So with that being said, I guess "left my beautiful home" was the wrong thing to say. That would imply that I left voluntarily, on my own free will. Instead, it was more like "my parents volun **told** me to live elsewhere." That elsewhere happened to be with my Aunt Corinne in good, ol' Forks, Washington. 

My parents thought it would be a good change of scene for me. On top of being forced to keep The Gates' two biggest secrets, I also had to deal with my younger brother's sudden disappearance. It was the only reason they stayed and chose to endure the residents' newly found hostile attitude towards them. My parents were holding onto the hope that my brother would return.

It was hard for me to leave with knowing my brother was lost, but at the same time, I was relieved. I was relieved to be able to get away from the people who I pissed off. The people who stopped greeting me with smiles, but rather with cold, icy stares. The people who stopped asking how I was doing and instead kept reminding me to keep my mouth shut or else. 

Or else what? I didn't know. I didn't want to find out. On top of all of that, I was relieved to be able to get away from it all. I wanted nothing more than to bury the secrets deep, deep, deep in my mind to eventually forget and to move on and start anew.

Unfortunately, Forks was not the best town for that.


	2. Chapter 1

"Jade!" My Aunt Corinne called from the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" I yelled back as I sifted through my box of things.

"I'm going to the shop. Astrid called about smelling something funky, and now she claims she's seeing talking stars." I chuckled to myself. "Do you want to come?"

"No thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I still have a few boxes to go through. I want to get settled in before school next week."

Ugh, school. A feeling of anxiety came over me. Ever since my little "incident" at The Gates the mere thought of being around strangers scared me and made me anxious. I took a deep breath in. I decided a break from unpacking was needed. I dropped the box next to my bed and laid down. A soft knock came from my door. I lifted my head as Aunt Corinne opened the door.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her green eyes looking concerned.

"I'm fine," I replied sitting up.

"I could make you fix you some tea before I leave." I smiled.  Aunt Corinne was all about teas and herbs and how they helped the body, mind, and soul.

"No thank you. Actually I think I'll head out and maybe drive around. You know, get some fresh air."

She nodded her head. "Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself? Maybe you should come with-"

"Aunt Cor, go ahead! I'll be fine. I think Astrid needs you more than I do right now," I reminded her.

She nodded once again and this time disappeared behind my closing door. I laid my head back down on my bed and closed my eyes. I heard the front door creak open then close. The sound of the door locking followed, and then came the sound of heels hitting the pavement. I listened for Aunt Cor's car to start up and drive off.

I sighed and sat up again, looking around my new room. It certainly wasn't as big as my old room in the Gates, but I didn't mind. I found it to be quite cozy. I eyed the remaining boxes filled with junk, waiting to be unpacked. After a few more minutes of staring blankly at my wall, I got up and resumed with settling in.

It only took me a couple of hours to settle in. I was able to unpack my belongings, dust everything down and put them in their new rightful places in my new room of my new home. How long would I be calling this home? I didn't know. I guess it depended on how long it would take my parents to find my brother. That is, _if_ they ever find him.

I shook the pessimistic thoughts away. ' _Conor is still alive. They still haven't found his body.'_    Without a second thought, I grabbed the keys to my car. I descended the stairs two steps at a time. After locking the front door, I darted to my car and sped off as if trying to leave my thoughts behind.

After calming myself down, I realized that I didn't know where I was. I saw nothing but evergreens around me and an open yet deserted road in front of me. I began to panic. I pulled over to the side and decided that a quick U-turn would solve my problem. I double checked for incoming traffic, which seemed a bit silly, but better safe than sorry.

After driving down the road, I realized that none of the scenery looked familiar. Actually, it did look familiar because it was all the same, just trees everywhere. I drove ten more minutes down the road, still no sign of Forks or civilization for that matter. As I drove a few more miles down, I saw a little road branch off. I tried to recall if I took any turns, but came up with a blank. I made a last minute decision and swerved to catch the right turn. I instantly hit my brakes when I spotted a man standing in the middle of the road. He was tall, tan, and shirtless. He had short black hair that stood in messy spikes.  A tattoo was visible on his right arm. He started walking towards my car. Without thinking, I unbuckled my seat belt and made a move to open my door.

"Don't get out!" he yelled. He stopped a few feet in front of my car. "Turn around. You shouldn't go down this way! It's dangerous!"

I slowly nodded. I put my gear into reverse and went back a couple of inches before stopping again. I rolled down my window.

"Do you know how I can get back to Forks?"

He looked annoyed. "Go back. Then make a right and keeping heading down until you hit the intersection to the 101. Take it south and you'll hit Forks."

"Thanks!" I turned my car around and kept a mental note of the directions the shirtless stranger had just given me. I looked at my rear view mirror and he was gone. I turned back onto the main road and followed it down. How far was the 101? Did I really drive this far and not realize it? A red light suddenly flashed on my dashboard. It was my gas light. "Shit."

For the next fifteen minutes I prayed that my gas would last me till Forks. Unfortunately, my prayers were not answered. My car slowed down to a stop once I turned onto the 101.

"God damn it!" I cursed. Maybe that's why my prayers were never answered. I dug around in my jacket pocket only to discover that I was without my cell phone.  "Great."  

I undid my seat belt but continued to sit in my car. I covered my face with my hands. I didn't look back up until I heard the sound of a car approaching. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a police cruiser pull up beside me. He rolled the passenger side window down. There were two men inside. The driver was in a police officer uniform and the other had long hair and wore a cowboy looking hat.

"Car trouble?" the driver asked.

"Yeah, I ran out of gas," I told him. He raised an eyebrow. "I was driving around and got lost."

"Aren't you Corinne's niece?" the long haired guy questioned. I nodded. Forks really was a small town.

"I'm Billy Black," he said. "This here is Chief Charlie Swan."

"Hi, I'm Jade," I said, giving them a smile.

"Well, we were just coming from the res and heading up to town. If you want to hop in-"

The police radio garbled something about a situation in the forest. Chief Swan gave Billy a look. A loud rustling of the trees tore my attention away from the two.

"Jade." I jumped, surprised at Charlie's sudden appearance by my door. He gave an apologetic smile.

"We should get you to town. Your car will be safe here until we can get some gas in it."

"I'll have Jacob come by and take care of it," Billy offered.

"He won't mind?"

"If he does, I don't care."

"Still not getting better is he?" Charlie asked.

Billy shook his head. Charlie turned back to me and opened my door. I slowly got out. Charlie gently took my arm and walked me to the back of the cruiser. Once I was in, he closed the door and ran to the driver's side.

"I'll drop you off at the station." I nodded.

After riding in silence for a few minutes, something dawned on me.

"Wait, if your son's going to gas up my car, how's he going to get my car and his car to town?"

Charlie glanced at Billy.

"Don't worry about that. Jacob will take care of it."

"Does he know how to hotwire a car?  Because I have my keys."

"Yup," Billy replied.

"He does?" Charlie asked with surprise. Billy looked out the window and didn't answer him.

The trip back to Forks took us fifteen minutes. The two took turns telling me about the sights along the main road. Charlie pulled up to the station and got out. I stepped out as well. Charlie pulled out a wheelchair from the trunk and wheeled it over to the passenger's side. Billy easily moved from the car to his chair.

He gave me a smile and wheeled himself into the station, nodding his head for me to follow. Once we were inside, two deputies suddenly swarmed the chief.

"We've got a report of an attack. Two hikers, minor injuries. Mentioned seeing a black bear." Charlie motioned for them to enter his office. He gave me a nod and closed the door.

"Come on, I know where they keep the donuts," Billy grinned. I smiled and followed him to the back of the station. Everyone greeted him kindly and acknowledged his presence. The aroma of fresh coffee made my stomach rumble. "Help yourself."

I made myself a cup of coffee and took a donut. After devouring it, I excused myself to the bathroom to use the facilities and fix myself up. When I came back, Billy was waiting for me out in the hall.

"Your car is here." I followed him back to the front of the station.

"That was fast," I told him.

"Mmhmm."

When we got out, I saw a tall, well built guy jump out of my car. For a second, I thought he was the shirtless guy from earlier, but after further observation, I found Billy's son to be taller.

"Are you alright Jade?" Billy asked smiling.

"Yeah, I just confused your son for someone else."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I almost ran over this guy earlier. It was weird. He was shirtless in this cold weather."

Billy shrugged. "Maybe he's used to the cold."

"Maybe."

"There you two are," Charlie said, walking out the front doors of the station. "Jade, your aunt." Charlie held out his cell phone.

"I probably should've called her earlier." Charlie nodded his head. I took the phone and walked a few steps away. "Hi, Aunt Cor!"

" _Jade! Where the hell have you been? I come home and you're not here. I called your cell phone a thousand times and you didn't pick up-"_

"Yeah, I forgot my cell-"

" _I was so worried. I didn't know what to do! I called your father-"_

"You called my dad?" I cried into the phone.

" _I thought you were lost or kidnapped!"_

"You thought I was lost or kidnapped so you decided to call my dad who is in Louisiana? What was he gonna do? Teleport here so he could find me?"

Billy and Charlie stifled their laughs. I turned to smile at them then turned back around.

" _I don't know Jade! I've never lost a teenager before! Where are you now? Are you coming home? Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine. I'm still at the station, but Billy's son just dropped my car off so I'll be on my way home soon."

After reassuring her again that I was fine, I ended the call. I headed back to the front of the station. I saw that Billy's son was wheeling Billy to their truck. I still didn't understand how he managed to drive both my car and their truck to station. I handed Charlie back his cell phone and thanked him. Then I walked over to Billy's truck.

"Thanks for the help and it was nice meeting you."

"You too, Jade. But we'll be seeing you at the res for dinner, won't we?" I gave him a blank look. "Your aunt told you, didn't she?"

"No, I guess she forgot." 

"That's your aunt for you," Billy chuckled.  "By the way, that's my son Jacob." He nodded to the back of the truck, where Jacob was busy with Billy's wheelchair.

"Thanks for bringing my car here," I called out to him.

He only grunted as a response. He didn't even look at me.

"Charming, isn't he?" Billy asked sarcastically. I only smiled.

"Well, I guess I'll you see guys later then." I gave a small wave and headed to my car. Billy's truck pulled out its spot and exited the parking lot just as I got in my car. I buckled my seat belt, turned the engine, and was on my way home.

Once I entered my aunt's warm house, I began to feel the tiredness creeping in. My aunt's footsteps were heard coming down the stairs.

"There you are! You look tired."

"I am," I told her, taking off my coat.

"Well go on and take a quick shower and get ready. We're going to La Push for dinner." I looked at her with disbelief. I had just told her I was tired and she still expected me to go to a dinner she forgot to tell me about.

"Do you think I could just stay home tonight?"

"Jade, Sue Clearwater arranged this dinner especially for you! It's like a Welcome to Forks/La Push dinner."

"I don't know Aunt Jade. I'm really ti-"

"A nice shower will fix that," she said, putting a scarf around her neck. "Or I could fix you some coffee."

"I'm not really up-" I tried to explain.

"Jade, you can meet her daughter Leah and her son Seth, and the La Push boys."

"La Push boys? What, are they like the Lost Boys?"

Aunt Corinne took a second before finally laughing.

"I get it, but no. Far from it," she muttered. "It's what I like to call them. There's just so many of them."

"How many are we talking exactly?"

"Well maybe about seven of them? Maybe eight?" There it was again, the feeling of anxiety. I took a deep breath as my aunt tried to name them all. "There's Jacob, you met him already right?"

"Kind of," I told her. "He wasn't really very…nice."

"Jacob? He's a good guy. He's just been going through a rough time lately." She stopped fiddling with her scarf and walked over to me. She placed her hands on my shoulders. "Come on, Jade. You can make some new friends." The tightening feeling in my chest returned. I took another deep breath. I didn't want to make new friends. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just… I'm fine."

"So you will go? It is in your honor." I thought about all the new faces I'd have to meet and sit down to have dinner with. I thought Jacob and his unwelcoming attitude. Then I thought about his father, the one who I told that I would be there.

I gave a sigh of defeat. "Okay."

Aunt Corinne gave a triumphant smile. "Hurry and get ready. We're going to be late."

I made my way up the stairs, wondering what to wear to this dinner arranged for me. After taking a short shower, I quickly selected an outfit consisting of a pair of jeans and a grey cardigan over a white tank. I changed and side braided my long brown hair. I decided to skip the make-up; I wasn't looking to make friends let alone impress any of the so called La Push boys.

"Let's go," I cried as I jumped down the stairs and grabbed my jacket from the closet.

"Someone's in a hurry," Aunt Corinne said, coming out of the kitchen with a cup of tea. "I like the enthusiasm!"

"Don't get excited," I told her. "You said we were going to be late and the way I see it, sooner we leave here, the sooner we get there, and the sooner we can leave there, the sooner we can get back here."

"Okay, but first, drink this."

"Aunt Cor, we're about to go to dinner and you want me to drink tea?" I asked.

"It's chamomile to calm you and help with your anxiety. Drink it," she ordered. I gave her a look. "Yes, I know about those mini-anxiety attacks you've been having. Your mother told me they came out of nowhere after-"

I took the cup so she didn't have to finish her sentence. I ignored the pain I felt when the hot liquid made contact with my tongue. I practically gulped the whole thing down. "There, now let's get this over with!"

We got into her car and started the half hour drive to La Push. Aunt Corinne felt it necessary to crank up the radio volume and sing along to all the songs that played. I guess she thought it would somehow amp me up.

I gave a sigh of relief when I saw the sign marking the entrance of the La Push. Aunt Corinne lowered the music as we entered the little community. I looked out my window, trying to make out the little houses along the road. After a few more minutes of driving, we reach a nice looking house. I couldn't make out the color with the dim lighting. I got out of my car and waited for my aunt to come around. I followed two steps behind her. She got to the front door and knocked.

A woman with a thin face and long black hair opened the door. Aunt Corinne gave her a hug.

"Jade this is my good friend Sue Clearwater. Sue this is my niece, Jade."

I gave a shy smile, but Sue pulled me in for a hug.

"It's nice to finally meet you! Come in so I can introduce you."

My aunt gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as I followed Sue into the house. She led us to the living room where three girls sat on the couch. They all stood once they saw us.

"Girls, this is Corinne's niece Jade," Sue said, putting her hands on my shoulders. "Jade this is Emily, Kim, and Rachel."

I gave a small wave.

"Hello there, Jade."

"Hi, Billy! Nice to see you again. Have a seat!"

I sat down at the end of the couch beside the girl named Emily. It was only then that I noticed the scars on her face. I automatically rubbed my left arm that had similar looking scars.

"Where are the boys?" my aunt asked.

"Out doing boy things. Girls, you think you can help set the table?" The three girls nodded and stood up. I followed suit.

"Oh no, Jade. Sit down. You're the guest of honor," Billy told me.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind," I told him. I excused myself and followed the ladies down the hallway and into the dining room. A big table sat in the middle of the room. There seemed to be more than a dozen chairs pushed into the table. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"You alright?" Aunt Corinne asked in a low voice.

"Those are a lot of chairs." She let out a small laugh. "You'll be fine. It's just dinner!" She handed me a stack of plates. I walked over to the table and began placing one plate atop of the place mats that were already set. Between the five of us, we were able to set the table within ten minutes.

"You girls take your seats and Corinne and I will take care of the food." We did as we were told. "Billy, come join the girls at the table."

Billy appeared a few seconds later and took his place at one end of the table. We sat in silence as Aunt Corinne and Sue brought the food onto the table.

"Smells good," I said breaking the silence.

"Aunt Sue is an amazing cook," Emily told me with a smile.

"So are you, Em," Rachel told her.

"If only I could say the same about you," Billy said.

"Dad!" Billy chuckled.

"That's everything," Sue said as she placed the last dish onto the table. She took her seat and Aunt Corinne took the chair beside me.

"I wonder where they are," Kim spoke with a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm sure they're fine," Emily told her.

"They'll be here soon," Billy assured her. Then, as if on cue, the front door swung open and thunderous voices boomed down the hall and into the dining room where we sat. A tall girl with short hair led the group, her face holding a scowl. She was quiet and took the seat beside Sue.

"Jade, this is my daughter Leah," Sue told me. I gave a smile and Leah simply nodded back.

The La Push boys followed, laughing and talking over one another. I looked down and closed my eyes. I inhaled and slowly exhaled before looking back up.

"Where's Jacob?" Billy asked, once the boys settled into their seats.

"He headed home," a guy told him. He was taller than the other guys and seemed older.

"He'll come later when he's hungry," Billy said.

"There'll be no food later," one of the other guys said.

"I'm starving!"

"Hold it!" Sue said, slapping a hand away from the bread basket. "Before we eat, I want everyone to meet Jade." Everyone turned towards me.

"Hi Jade," they chorused. I gave a nervous smile. The guys before me looked...intimidating. They were all tall and muscular, some more than others. How old were they supposed to be?

"I'm Sam," the older guy from earlier said. The guys all took turns introducing themselves. Embry, Quil, Collin, Brady, Seth, Jared, and Paul.

"Hey, aren't you the guy from earlier?" I asked Paul. He averted my gaze and looked to Sam, as if asking him for help.

"Oh, the weird shirtless man you were telling me about earlier?" Billy asked.

"Uh, yeah. Him." I blushed.

"Probably was," Billy said. "Paul likes to run to clear his head. As for the shirtless part..." Billy shrugged.

"Oh," was all I could say. I wasn't sure why the room suddenly held a slight tension in the air.

"Well, let's eat!"

I looked on with awe as the guys scooped spoonfuls of food onto their plates. It was no wonder Sue made so much food.

"So, Jade, why don't you tell us about you," Sue said, giving me a smile. I caught an eye roll from Leah.

"Uh, I don't really know where to start."

"Tell them about your track stories," my aunt said. "Jade used to do track. And from what her mother told me, she always had the best times."

"How fast are you?" the boy named Seth asked. I think he was Sue's son.

"I don't know-"

"Do you think you're fast?" came his second question.

"Well, yeah, I suppose I was, but not anymore. I quit when-" I stopped and looked down at my plate. I nervously licked my lips.

"When what?" Seth persisted. Leah gave him a smack behind his head. "Ow! What was that for Leah?" He rubbed the back of his head and turned his attention back on me.

"I quit because I just didn't get along with my teammates."

Seth nodded his head. "I could probably beat you." I smiled. He somehow reminded me of my younger brother.

"You always think you could beat everyone," Collin said.

"Because I can! I beat you yesterday when we were-" Leah elbowed him. "Ow! Mom!"

Everyone laughed.

"Aw, does little Seth want his mommy?"

"Shut up, Brady! I could probably beat you too!"

More laughter. I looked around the table and saw how fun and relaxed everyone was. It helped me to relax, well only a little. A part of me still kept my guard up. As I looked around, I also noticed how fast they all ate. Some of them were already on their seconds. Sam, the biggest one, was on his third plateful.

"I apologize for these boys," Sue told me. "They seem to lack the etiquette of chewing their food slowly and not talking with their mouth full."

"Yeah, it's like we were raised by a pack of wolves." My eyes widened at what Quil said. I swallowed the lump in my throat. _'Calm down. He didn't mean it. It was just a joke. Relax!'_

"Well, look who's here," Paul cried out. I silently thanked him for the distraction. I looked up at the doorway and saw Jacob.

"Done being emo? You sure you wiped your tears completely?" I turned my attention back on Paul and the other boys. They were trying to keep from laughing.

"Paul," Sam said in a warning tone.

"What? He needs to get over that-"

"Jacob, have you met Jade?" Sue asked, putting an end to Paul's teasing.

"Yeah, we met earlier," Jacob answered, not bothering to look my way. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead looked at the end of the table. Billy was staring at his son, as if trying to read his mind. Jacob entered my peripheral vision. He made a move to sit next to Leah, which meant he would be sitting across from me. ' _Great._ ' I knew I couldn't avoid not looking at him forever so I finally turned my head to face him full on. Just as I did this, he finally looked at me and our eyes met for the first time. He stared at me for a good five seconds before suddenly dropping down to the ground. Gasps were heard all around.

"Jacob!" Seth cried standing up.

"Is he okay?" I asked. I felt a tug on my arm. I looked and my aunt motioned for me to sit down. I didn't even notice that I stood up just as Seth had. I slowly took my seat.

Jacob slowly stood up, his head bowed down. I glanced around the table. Everyone was fixated on Jacob. I brought my attention back to him, too, and saw that he was staring at me again.

"He's fine," Billy said. "He'll be just fine, now."

The guys all snickered among themselves. I didn't get what was so funny. I didn't even know what happened and why he fell in the first place.

"What's so funny?" I whispered to my aunt.

"Nothing," she replied with a smile. She stood up. "Jacob why don't you take my seat? Sue and I have things to catch up on."

I stared at my aunt in horror. "What are you doing?" I asked under my breath.

"You'll be fine," she said in a sing-song voice. I glared at her which only made her smile even more.

My chest began to tighten again as I felt Jacob walk behind me.

"Hi," he said to me as he took his seat. I only gave him a small smile. I still didn't forget how rude he was to me earlier. He reached for the bread basket. "Bread?"

All I could do was shake my head no. Why was he being nice all of a sudden? I caught Billy's eyes and they seemed to be smiling. Even his daughter Rachel, who apparently was Paul's girlfriend with the way he had his arm around her, gave me a big smile.

"So, Jade," Emily began, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Everyone seemed to be looking at me. At Jacob. At _us_. "How do you like Forks so far?"

"Oh, uh, it's good. It's nice. Definitely a big difference from where I used to live."

"Where was that?" Sam asked.

"The Gates." He stared at me blankly. "It's what the community was called. It's near Franklin in Louisiana. It was nice, but wasn't as quiet as it is here."

"That won't last for long," Collin joked.

"Well, I hope you like La Push. Something tells me we'll be seeing you here often. That is if you don't get lost on the way here," Paul told, giving a small wink.

I laughed. "I'll be sure to invest in a good GPS the next time I feel the need to just drive around."

"Just don't drive around by yourself at night," Jacob advised. I turned to him in surprise. I was taken aback by the evident concern in his voice. I didn't know what to make of his sudden change of attitude towards me.

"Yeah, you don't want to do that," Jared added. " _Especially_ around here."

"I'm sure it's like that everywhere."

"Not like it is here," Sam said, his tone serious.

"They're right, sweetie, Forks is not like the Gates."

"Why's it called the Gates?" Seth asked, totally veering the subject in another direction.

"It's a gated community," I told him. "The owner wanted it to be very safe and secure, so he spent a fortune on building 12 foot tall gates around the whole community."

"Wow, they must really not want anyone getting in," Rachel said.

"I think it was more about what they were trying to keep in." I bit my tongue the second the words left my mouth.

"What?" Seth asked.

"Uh." _'Shit. Why did I say that?'_ "Well-" Everyone suddenly seemed interested to know what I meant.

"Who's ready for dessert?" Aunt Corinne asked. The words "I am" and "Me" resounded around the table. "You made dessert right, Sue?"

"Yes, I did." Sue got up and my aunt followed suit.

"I'll go see if they need help," Emily said, following the two women to the kitchen.

"Jade, what were they trying to keep in?" Seth asked again. I squirmed in my seat. He certainly was persistent or just plain curious.

"Seth," Jacob said from beside me. "You're making her uncomfortable."

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking down at his plate. It was like he was apologizing more to Jacob than to me.

"You don't have to be a jerk, Jacob," Leah said, speaking for the first time during the whole dinner.

"Leah, chill. Jacob's just being protective," Paul teased.

"I wasn't talking to you, Paul!"

"Jacob wasn't talk to you either. He was talking to Seth!"

"Paul, stop yelling!" Rachel told him, putting a hand on his arm.

"I'm not yelling!"

"Paul, stop," Sam said, staring him down.

"I don't need your help, Sam," Leah spat out his name like it was poison.

I looked down at my lap. I hated it when people yelled and fought. It made me very uncomfortable. Soon, the other guys got into the argument. They were all ganging up on Leah whose only ally was her little brother and maybe Sam, though it seemed she didn't want it. I felt bad, like it was my fault all the arguing began in the first place. I regretted ever mentioning the Gates.

I brought my hand up to my head. I felt a headache coming on.

"Are you alright?" Jacob asked, leaning close to me. I felt his body heat with how close he was. It made me hot and my headache worse.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I lied.

"Are you sure? Do you have a headache?"

"No, I'm fine." I dropped my hand and pushed out my chair. "Excuse me."

I quickly stood up from the table, walked out of the room, down the hall, and out of the house. I heard everyone get quiet and Jacob yelling at Leah which started another fight between them all. I walked further from the house until I didn't hear the yelling anymore.

I wrapped my arms around me as a cool breeze blew through. I took a deep breath in and the smell of the ocean nearby filled my nose. It helped to calm me. I had always liked the smell of salt water. Maybe it was because it reminded me of one of my favorite memories: spending the summer in southern California. My parents had rented a beach cottage and Conor and I spent every single day playing on the beach. I closed my eyes and listened carefully for the sound of the ocean. More memories of that summer came to mind.

"Hey." I opened my eyes and the memories quickly faded and I was forced to come back to reality. I turned around to face Jacob. It was the first time I got a good look at him from head to toe. He was tall, about a foot taller than I was. He had broad shoulders and his hair was neatly spiked up. In a way, he looked similar to all the other La Push boys: tall, muscular, and tan. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied.

"Sorry if we scared you off," he told me with a half smile. He took a couple of steps towards.

"No, you guys didn't scare me off. I-I just wanted some fresh air. It was kinda hot in there."

He laughed. "Yeah, we have a tendency to do that." He was a foot away from me when I decided to back away to increase the space again.

"You sure we didn't scare you off? Or that _I_ didn't scare you off?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I-sorry, I just like my space."

"Oh," he replied, his face falling enough for me to notice.

There we stood, a good space between us with nothing else to say. I looked up so I didn't have to look at him. I was amazed to see so many stars out. It was beautiful.

"Listen," Jacob began, ruining my stargazing. "I just wanted to apologize for being rude to you earlier. I-I wasn't acting right and I was distracted by something that seems so insignificant now."

Something about his apology made me smile. It sounded so sincere and heartfelt. I smiled.

"It's alright," I told him. "And thank you for that." He nodded and continued to stare at me. It made me uncomfortable. I could feel another mini-attack coming. "Uh, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything," he quickly said, so quick in fact that it made me take a small step back.

"Um, can you please tell my aunt that I'm not feeling well?"

"What's wrong? Is your head still hurting?" He seemed to forget my preference of space between us and moved closer. He made a move to reach out to me, so I turned my body away.

"No, I'm just tired," I told him. He stayed beside me for a few seconds before finally nodding his head.

"I'll go get her," he said in a quiet voice. I watched as he walked back to the house, his head bowed down slightly. The tightening in my chest subsided with the thought of me going home to my new, cozy room. It was sad. I was excited to go home so I could be alone.

I heard my aunt's voice from the front of the house. She was saying bye to Sue. It sounded like she was also apologizing. A feeling of guilt hit me. Sue went through the trouble of hosting a dinner for me with good intentions and here I was, making up excuses just to get home.

I made my way to Aunt Corinne's car, hoping she wouldn't say anything. She didn't. She simply unlocked her car and got in. I followed suit. As she backed out, I saw Jacob leaning against the door frame of the front door. He gave a small wave and I did the same. The ride back was quiet, save for the music from the radio. Aunt Corinne hummed along. I hope she wasn't mad at me. I did tell her beforehand that I didn't want to go, right?

After half an hour of driving we were finally home. I headed straight up to my room and changed into my pajamas. I crawled under my nice warm covers, but I was no longer sleepy. I was staring at the ceiling for who knows how long when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I said. Aunt Cor came in holding a mug. I sat up.

"Don't worry, it's just hot chocolate. No tea."

I smiled my thanks. I took the mug from her and blew on it before taking a sip.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Okay," I told her. "I'm sorry about the dinner. I… I just felt overwhelmed."

"Yeah, they are a rowdy bunch. Maybe it was too much too soon."

I nodded.

"But Jacob was nice wasn't he? I told you he was."

"Yeah, he is. I guess." She gave me a look. "What? I just think it's weird. First he was all rude to me and couldn't even look me in the eye and then out of nowhere he's offering me bread and invading my personal space and just staring at me."

This caused my aunt to giggle. "Well, maybe he was having a bad day and then you just turned it around for him."

It was my turn to give her a look. "I'm just throwing that thought out there," she explained. I continued to sip on my hot cocoa. "But seriously, I came here to talk to you."

"About?"

My aunt sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I want you to be happy here," she told me. I looked down at my almost empty mug. "I know that with Conor's disappearance and your parents sending you here, it's hard to adjust, but I want you to at least try."

I sighed. "I know. But it really was too much too soon."

"Okay," She replied. She continued to sit on my bed so I knew our talk wasn't over. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"How long have you been having these anxiety attacks?"

"Since Conor's disappearance." _Liar._

"Nothing else?"

"I don't know. I guess what happened just scared me. The Gates was supposed to be this nice safe place. Then all of a sudden, Conor disappears and with all the security cameras and everything they can't find a single clue." I looked at my aunt who looked at me attentively. "It just made me think that someone on the inside had something to do with it. After that, I felt like I couldn't trust anybody. It made me realize that you never really, truly know a person. You really don't know who they are and what they're capable of."

"Which is why you are wary of meeting new people?"

I shrugged as I nodded my head. "I don't know. It's silly-"

"It's not," Aunt Corinne said. "But I promise you, Jade, that Jacob is a nice guy-"

"Jacob? What's he have to do with this?" I asked. She seemed to be pushing me to like this Jacob.

"Nothing. I'm just saying that you might be wrong about Jacob. I've known him since he was born and he is the nicest, sweetest guy around. Same with the other La Push boys and Leah and Sue and Billy. I have known them the longest."

I only nodded.

"Alright, let me leave you so you can get some rest."

I thanked her and bid her good night.

I curled back into my bed and replayed the events from the day. Billy and Sue were nice people. They were very welcoming. As for the La Push boys and Leah, they were a rowdy crowd, but they seemed very close. Then there was Jacob. He was the one that I was unsure about. They say first impressions stick, and his did for me. I wondered what 'rough time' he had been going through. Was he a drug user or something? An alcoholic? A serial killer? I shook my head. I was clearly taking it too far.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of wolves howling. I buried myself deeper into my bed. Of course they had wolves here in Forks, it was surrounded by miles and miles of forests that they could run through. I reached for my iPod and blasted my music to drown out the howling. It didn't help to put me to sleep, but I didn't care, so long as I didn't hear the damn wolves anymore.


End file.
